As expected, the Samsung Epic 4G along with few other Samsung devices will be getting froyo update on March 21th.  Officially confirmed by Sprint.  Samsung Galaxy Tab and Samsung Transform owners on Sprint can expect to be notified of OTA updates on the 21st as well.  Looking forward to it.  If you have any questions or comments, post them on Samsung Epic 4G Forum

Action Required: 3/21/11 Software Updates: Samsung Epic, Galaxy Tab, & Transform

Effective Monday, 3/21/11, these software updates will be available through Google Over-the-Air (OTA). All these devices will recognize a software update is required and will prompt the customer. See the device specific documents at ISC > Quick Links > Software Updates for required actions and associated screen shots. These device specific documents also include FAQs on how to use Sprint ID on the Epic and Tab. Other details:

Samsung Epic Upgrading to EC05

Update will be pushed to customers over a 4-day period

OTA duration time = 10-20 minutes; install time = 8-10 minutes

After the update completes, verify the new software version (Menu > Settings > About Phone)

Enhancements/fixes: upgrade to Android 2.2.1 (Froyo), add Sprint ID, install apps to external storage, improved Bluetooth device support, Bluetooth voice dialing, Flash Player 10.1, GPS enhancements improved OS performance.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Upgrading to EB28

Update will be pushed to customers over a 4-day period

After the update completes, verify the new software version (Menu > Settings > About My Galaxy Tab)Enhancements/fixes: adding Sprint ID, adding DSA to check usage

Samsung Transform Upgrading to EB28

Update will be pushed to customers over a 4-day period

If a customer doesn't initiate the update when prompted, the customer can install it manually after 3/24/11 (Menu > Settings > About Phone > System Updates > Update Android)

After the update completes, verify the new software version (Menu > Settings > About Phone

Enhancements/fixes: upgrade to Android 2.2 (Froyo), addition of Swype, Sprint Zone 2.5, Sprint ID activation improvements, Google Syncing errors, landscape mode issues on Home Screen, Search shortcut key, Sprint 3G mobile Hot Spot, updating from version DI01 to DI11 with Bluetooth on.

Note: All software updates are subject to change.

source: BGR

As you probably already know, ATT and Verizon has been offering some sorts of data protection plan for owners of its handsets, Sprint today announcing that it will do the same with their protection plan:

* Locate lost device by sounding an alarm on the smartphone even if in silent mode, doing a real time locate via GPS technology, or viewing the smartphone's location history on a map via a Web Interface
* Remotely lock their smartphone
* Erase contacts in the address book on a lost smartphone
* Backup, manage and restore contacts

The cost to replace a lost mobile device is usually the least of a wireless customer's worries, especially if he or she is protected by Sprint's Total Equipment Protection, which provides coverage against loss, theft and damage. The bigger nightmare is the thought that a customer's personal contacts, photos and other private information could fall into the wrong hands. To help alleviate those fears, Sprint (NYSE: S) customers needing to track down a lost device and protect their personal information can do so now with the launch of a new application called Total Equipment Protection App.*

Sprint customers with Total Equipment Protection will be able to access the new application, beginning today, at www.sprint.com/protection, where they will benefit from the following features:

* Locate lost device by sounding an alarm on the smartphone even if in silent mode, doing a real time locate via GPS technology, or viewing the smartphone's location history on a map via a Web Interface
* Remotely lock their smartphone
* Erase contacts in the address book on a lost smartphone
* Backup, manage and restore contacts

"Anyone who has lost a phone knows that their personal information is possibly just as vulnerable as if their computer was hacked," said John Carney, senior vice president of consumer marketing for Sprint. "Now, Sprint customers have peace of mind knowing that their personal and private information is safe. TEP and this accompanying application is a safeguard for customers who want protection from not only loss, but misuse and unauthorized access."

The Protection App is included at no additional charge as a benefit of Total Equipment Protection plan, which is $7 per month, per line of service. It is available to customers with phones using BlackBerry and Android mobile platforms. TEP customers download and install the user-friendly application at www.sprint.com/protection. Privacy protection is included with the Protection App. Each time the smartphone's location is requested by the Web interface, an SMS text message is sent to the smartphone notifying it has been located.

In addition to purchasing TEP coverage, customers have several other steps to help customers protect their information:

* Pass codes - Sprint customers should always use pass codes to lock their phones and make it harder for the phone to be accessible if lost.
* Protect voice mail - Use the "pass code feature" to retrieve voicemails rather than opting to skip it in order to maintain the highest level of security. Without it, anyone with access to the device can connect to the voicemail.
* Contact Sprint - Call Sprint's Customer Care department immediately to deactivate the phone if it is believed to be lost, stolen or accessed without authorization.

Source: android central.

Sprint's just announced it will charge an extra $10 per month for smartphones to use its "Everything Data" plans.

Sprint, which has been trying to make a big comeback for several years, has tried to undercut rivals like AT&T and Verizon with cheap smartphone plans.

But as smartphones running software like Google Android encourage people to use more data -- which costs more for Sprint to provide -- the carrier is increasing its rates.

The new charge applies to Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm, and Instinct devices. Some 4G phones already included the $10 per month "Premium Data" surcharge.

The price hike will only apply to new activations; existing Sprint subscribers aren't affected until they upgrade to a new phone.

source: business insider

In what will definitely be disappointing information for Samsung Epic 4G owners on the market, it seems that the earlier rumor of the Android 2.2 Froyo update for stated Sprint Galaxy S phone didn't materialize.

It was mentioned that the Froyo replace shall be arriving on December 26th, but it's nowhere to be seen and reports are in that the replace is "on hold" and can be released "someday within the near future", yes, those hardly encouraging words.

The news of getting Android 2.2 Froyo on Samsung's Galaxy S phones for Sprint has been a disappointing one, and hopefully Samsung and carriers will be capable of solve it quickly, since we're pretty positive that the customers are on the dropping end of this situation.

via: unwiredview

Samsung Epic 4G now available from Sprint website.   If you are not familiar with this phone, you should check it out, here are some information provided by Sprint:

The Android-powered Samsung Epic 4G was engineered for a legendary entertainment experience with superior speed and display innovation. Its 3G/4G speeds allow you to stream and download videos, applications and games at blink-and-you'll-miss-it speeds. Read books and magazines or watch TV shows and movies in HD-like quality on the expansive 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display.

This pocket-sized entertainment hotshot is also a mobile hotspot. Share 3G/4G speeds with up to five Wi-Fi devices. With its full, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, super responsive touchscreen, Swype text entry and 4G speeds, you can be a social networking and messaging rockstar. This powerhouse goes everywhere, does everything - all at 4G speeds. So let your Epic adventure begin. Android Market

Key Features

* Access to 4G speeds that are up to 10x faster than 3G
* Dual-mode 3G/4G device, access to dependable 3G speeds and accelerated 4G speeds where available
* Dual cameras
* 1 GHz processor
* Mobile Hotspot capable
* 3G speeds where available
* Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
* Android^TM 2.1
* Combined IM, MMS and SMS messaging
* All in-one calendar
* Integrated contacts from multiple sources
* Linked Contacts and Layered Calendar
* Chat-style messaging
* Touchscreen
* Music capable
* Sprint TV®
* GPS Navigation enabled
* Web browsing capable
* Email capable
* Camera
* Bluetooth® Wireless
* Memory card slot
* Voice activated dialing
* Supports multiple simultaneous users

source: Sprint

I guess Verizon isn't the only one dealing with Phone shortage, we were told by executive at Verizon a while ago that the shortage was due to the lack of lcd parts from Samsung.

Well, Sprint is already deal with shortage of it's best device so far, the HTC Evo 4G, the CEO of Sprint has come out and said that the HTC Evo shortage are making a dent on Sprint's 4G strategy.

Sprint is still the only U.S. carrier with a 4G network, which offers users faster speeds for data and video. The carrier, the nation's third-largest by subscribers, hopes the network will give it an advantage in attracting customers from rivals. But shortages of its maiden 4G phone are limiting potential sales, and rival carriers are getting closer to launching their own 4G networks.

The outspoken CEO of Sprint Dan Hesse told The Wall Street Journal last week. "We thought we would have more of a head start than we ended up having."

So far, Sprint has sold 300,000 of its Evo 4G phones, according to Macquarie Group. Demand has been strong, but HTC Corp., the Taiwanese company that makes the Evo for Sprint, hasn't been able to keep up.

Verizon and AT&T are also working on a 4G LTE network, and we should be expecting some announcements at thend end of this year.

source: phandroid

Sprint has just released an OTA update for HTC Evo 4G, according to a user on HTC Evo 4G, here's what the update did.

• -ShootMe no longer works on unrooted phones
• -ShopSavy (my barcode scanner of choice) is working fine.
• -Qik is having issues. The icon turned to the defaul android icon. When pressed, the message "The linked program is no longer installed on your phone" comes up.
• *Removed the shortcut and put it back, now works fine.
• -3 widges (a flashlight, an antivirus widget, and the "that's what she said" instant button) came up with "loading" boxes as the widget icons. Pressing them does nothing.
• *I removed them and brought each one back, and they all work. All other widgets seem to be running fine.
• -In the default music app, my paused song stayed in the same spot as frmo before the update. This struck me as kinda odd.

I'm not up to speed on whatever the grounding issue was, but everything seems to work fine when the phone is horizontal. (I HAD had issues in the past sometimes where I couldn't get the notification bar to pull down.)

Camera seems slightly snappier overall. Home wifi signal seems stronger by one or two bars. There was an update for Robo Defense free, and it came through blazingly fast. (Faster than usual). My RSS reader in Dolphin HD loaded much faster than before. Other pages loading in Dolphin much faster. Flash games on mobile Kongregate.com loaded way faster than before. Online multiplayer in N.O.V.A. seems to be giving me less lag on wifi, too.

Not sure exactly what the "Facebook Sync" thing is supposed to do from the update... But in my sync settings where I can add an account, there's "Facebook" and "Facebook for HTC Sense". The latter works, but the regular facebook one doesn't do anything when I press it. It didn't do anything before the update either.Also, my contact facebook syncing is still having an issue. The Facebook Friends in my contacts all have their profile pictures as ID pictures, but the pictures never sync when my friends change their profile pictures? Is it supposed to be a one time thing, or are the images supposed to update when it says that Facebook is syncing with my contacts?

For more discussions check out HTC Evo 4G

Yes, you heard that right, Sprint is planning to release the Android 2.2 so call Froyo in the near feature. I expected to have to wait until September for the EVO upgrade. I assume "near future" will be July/August??

Here's the statement posted on Sprint's community forum by a Sprint Employee:

As work on finalizing the software is under way, Sprint expects to launch Android 2.2 in the near future. It also will be available as an upgrade on the recently launched HTC EVO 4G.

With the Android 2.2 upgrade, customers can expect improvements to include the following benefits: updates to user interface, improved EAS Support, improved browser performance, including Flash 10x Support, voice dialing over Bluetooth and application storage on external memory.

When someone asked if Android 2.2 will be on HTC Hero or Samsung Moment, this is the response given by the Sprint Employee:

No, it will not. 2.2 will not be available for HTC Hero or Samsung Moment

source: Sprint Community

Someone who works at Sprint told Seattle Times that the Sprint HTC Evo 4G has been officially sold out after the morning rush but they're hoping to get more soon. Westlake ran out during lunch and the store a few blocks away on Union ran out at around 11 a.m. They've asked Sprint for an official update.

Meanwhile, there were still a few cookies left from this morning's launch event at the Westlake store, where I briefly talked to one customer who said he'd buy an Evo if the store had any more in stock.

One more thing, Qik, the video chat application provider, clarified that the basic video chat features will be free. Premium features, including video archiving and the ability to upload videos to the service, will cost $4.99 a month starting July 15.

source: seattletimes

This is great news! Today RadioShack announced that it will open 1,600 of its retail shops at 6AM on June 4 to accommodate those who pre-ordered the HTC EVO 4G Android/WiMax phone.

If that's not enough, the Radio Shack will be giving customers that pre-ordered a 15 percent discount on EVO accessories purchased on launch day.  Some Radio Shack locations will have an Evo 4G Experience Center where staffers will show the 4G Android smartphone's capabilities to customers or potential buyers during their visit.

Way to go Radio Shack!

Share your Buy Experiences at http://www.Evo4Gforum.net